Taxpayers spend 40 million without distinction between public and private affairs. China Post: Rubio took a government plane to watch a football game in Florida.
Quick Look
- Secretary of State Rubio has taken government planes to Florida to watch his son's American football games at least 23 times since March 2025.
- The flight cost is estimated to be more than $1.2 million.
- Although it complies with safety regulations, the private trip only requires economy class fare, sparking controversy over the use of public funds and transparency.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Rubio had to fly on a government plane due to security regulations, so he only had to pay economy class fare for his private trip. Such rules apply to senior officials such as the secretaries of state, defense secretaries and heads of intelligence agencies.
The Washington Post reported on the 11th that U.S. Secretary of State Rubio has taken government planes to Gainesville, Florida, at least 23 times since March 2025 to watch his son, who is studying at his alma mater, the University of Florida, compete in American football games. The related flight costs are estimated to be more than $1.2 million. Since Rubio is not allowed to fly on commercial flights due to safety regulations, he only has to pay economy class fares to the government for private trips, raising questions about the use of public funds and the transparency of government information.
The report pointed out that according to public flight tracking data and records confirmed by the State Department, Rubio has taken government aircraft to Gainesville at least 23 times since March 29, 2025, of which 15 were classified as purely private trips and 7 were for mixed public and private purposes.
The Post estimates based on aircraft usage hours announced by the Pentagon that Rubio mainly takes Gulfstream C-37A and C-37B jets, which cost about US$9,100 per hour; he also takes three Boeing C-32A special planes, which cost about US$18,600 per hour. The 15 private trips cost approximately US$770,600, and the seven mixed-use trips cost approximately US$443,900, for a total of approximately US$1.21 million.
Rubio, like a handful of high-ranking officials such as the Secretary of War (Defense), the Directors of the FBI and the CIA, must travel on government planes for security reasons, and must pay the equivalent of economy-class fares for private trips. The Post estimates that the average game-day airfare from Washington to Gainesville is about $820, and Rubio should pay about $18,000.
The State Department declined to provide Rubio's flight and payment records, and the Post's request for information through the Freedom of Information Act went unanswered. Neither Rubio nor the State Department specified the actual amount of the payment. Assistant Secretary of State Johnson said that the use of military aircraft is to ensure that government operations are not interrupted and to maintain secure communications at all times.
Ethics experts believe that although Rubio's trip complied with federal regulations, it still involved the appropriate use of public funds. Brown, a lawyer at the Washington watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, pointed out that this is more a matter of perception than a violation.
By comparison, former Secretary of State Blinken only took private trips on government planes about twice a year. When Rubio was a senator in 2023, he called for an investigation into former Transportation Secretary Buttigieg's use of government planes, emphasizing that taxpayers have the right to be confident that public funds are not wasted.
Open Questions
- What was the total amount Rubio actually paid?
- Why does the State Department refuse to release flight and payment records?
